This article outlines the key features and qualities that the Hartford Community Court offers to its defendants. As a continuation to a previous article written here, a single defendant by the name of Jonathan Reich, has had his case handled differently than any other case. Upon attempting to contact the State’s Attorneys Office, regarding this matter a representative responded “no comment”. The defendant is charged with a Class C misdemeanor that is treated differently than any other charge coming through the Hartford Community Court. There is obvious corruption already present, but why exactly did this court and its members decide to pull these specific antics for this charge and for this case specifically?

Normally Judge Raymond R. Norko requires defendants to appear at Community Court within two business days of being arrested. However, for one defendant and one specific incident, Judge Norko was willing to break court procedures and his cardinal rule which was one of the most important policy decisions made in the development of the Hartford Community Court.

Reich was arrested on 5/20/2013. His arraignment was set for 6/5/2013.

He was arraigned 16 days later in violation of Norko’s own “2-Day Rule”.

The defendant’s prior defense counsel of Pullman & Comley, in combination with the prosecution efforts of Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas J. O’Brien, and Judge Norko collaborated to circumvent justice. From repetitive accounts of continuances with no reasons listed on the official court docket page, to denials of legal defense funds, to unnecessary methods of intimidation, a motive arises.

By applying coercion methods to stifle proper court procedure and civil rights, the defendant became the victim of a far more serious crime. Given the lack of evidence, the questionable complaint affidavit, and possible motive of the perpetrators, it would seem as though this collusion was necessary in order to silence the defendant. What is even more suspicious is that a press release has not even been confirmed to exist, yet, Jessie Sawyer (currently of NBC-CT) published for the Avon Patch a story to defame the defendant before his arraignment even took place. The story was published on multiple news media outlets immediately afterward to further twist the narrative.

These articles were written and published before the defendant’s arraignment and also without a public press release or publicly available police report:

From the above measures that the media has taken, it causes question as to who leaked this report to the press as the Avon Police Department and the Hartford Community Court has stated that this police report has not been made publicly available to date. Similar findings and statements have been quoted as to the non-existent press release ever being created. From the above findings an immediate investigation seems plausible as to the gravity of the case and its components to which potential media collusion with this injustice appears to have taken place.